Regarding the issues of the agriculture in Japan, which I wrote in my blog the other day, I took a look at the statistical data to cover this issue in depth.

Each country has announced its Producer Support Estimate (PSE). In short, PSE is a numerical data, which shows how much burden each government put on its nationals against the real ability of its agriculture in order to be consistent. Anyway, there are roughly two ways to protect the agriculture.

The first one is eliminating the advantage of import products by putting taxes to adjust the price difference between the low-cost overseas products and the domestic products. It can be said that this is an unfair way to set the price of overseas products high since the domestic products have no competitive power. For example, approximately 700% import tax is imposed on Japanese rice, which we believe “a high-quality and the most delicious rice in the world”. I think we pay more money for better quality products, so there is no problem even if low-priced rice are coming into Japan from overseas. I can’t understand why the Japanese government is trying to protect the Japanese domestic rice with such a high import tax.

The case of Konjac is worse. The import tax is actually over 1700%. I think we should give up the products which cost a lot to grow in Japan. We should use low-priced Konjac from other countries, like Myanmar, to make Konjac with. Is there any problems for that?

Just for your information, the chart below shows the top ten countries with “price protection rate”, which impose so much import taxes on any products to cover its low competitiveness.

For last five years, Japan and Korea were ranked the first and the second honorably (lol). I think both countries have so much pride to use the domestic products, not the products from overseas. Well, if so, I don’t think that we need the government protection. We simply leave each consumer options to choose products…, is this idea something wrong?

The second way to protect the agriculture is so-called “subsidy”. As you know, some amount of taxes we pay are used as subsidy. I am pretty sure that there are some appropriate reasons why the field of agriculture gets the subsidy, but on the other hand, I still feel it is a little bit unfair because there are so many people who works so hard on the field without any subsidy. Well, I guess having this feeling is one of the characters of subsidy, isn’t it? Anyway, we call it as “financial protection rate”, let’s see the top ten countries of this rate as well.

Again, Japan is ranked within the top five of this field. Korea, which was competing with Japan for the first and the second places of the earlier topic, isn’t ranked in this time.

Well, now, let’s take a look at the world top ten of “Producer Support Estimate”, which combines “the price protection rate” and “the financial protection rate”.

Oh, what a bummer. Japan was ranked as fourth place after Korea on Year 2014. But a year before, on Year 2013, we were proudly at the second place (lol). In addition, the difference between all of the top five and the sixth place is more than a double. This data is definitely showing that “how extreme these countries are to pumper the field of its agriculture” and the extremeness is insane. Even though we ignore the details of ranks or numbers, it is obvious that Japan, even among 196 countries, is a country, which strongly protects its own agriculture.

When I see these data and the pampering toward the agriculture in Japan, my biggest question is that for what Japanese government is doing this pampering. Regarding the Japanese agriculture itself, we are implementing very inefficient and unproductive ways compared to the advanced agriculture countries. I think that instead of protecting the agriculture (or the farmer?), we should launch the front-line technologies and knowledges to make the field of agriculture competitive in the world. Or, if we say a developed country should not rely on the primary industry, we should abolish the tariffs and import low-priced and high-quality products… is it right, isn’t it?

Well, as you see from the fact of “the trade of agricultural products of the major developed countries”, Japan has the biggest trade deficits in the field of agriculture.

Even though the field of agriculture in Japan is protecting its own agriculture most amazingly, it is also making the world biggest trade deficit. Furthermore, it is Japanese nationals who support it by purchasing unfairly high-priced products and paying the subsidy through the taxes. Or perhaps, the issue of building the national stadium is a kind of good example, there are so much uncertain money are used for not only the field of agriculture, but any kinds of fields as well and as a result, the trade deficit is getting bigger and bigger, I think. As I see everything from the outside, now Japan is driving Japanese yen straight into just paper scraps.

Can we really stay the way we are?

Two Japanese were killed by “Islamic cult” group called ISIS who seems like to severely exasperate their grade 2 syndrome (Someone who behave like students). The incident happened to be the opportunity for me to know that there are various people and ideas in Japan. The ransom of 200 million USD the group suggested seems full throttle on grade 2 syndrome but some opinions of my Japanese people such as “we should pay, it is only 20 million” or “It’s PM Abe’s fault. Because he gave an interview in front of Israel flag and it made the ISIS angry” were quite surprising to me.

It of course was very sad and regrettable outcome that two of them were kidnapped and killed. And I wanted to rescue them if it was possible. However without being just sentimental and see the reality, we realise that people who had absurd death aren’t just only them.

We all die one day. I think having your loved ones around at the time of your death can be considered acceptable “peaceful death”. But there always certain amount of people who encounter sudden and unwanted death. Cause can be from something like traffic accident or incurable disease that we can expect to happen right next to us to something like an air raid or stabbing by passing maniac which can sound very unreasonable.

There aren’t any big or small in someone’s life. But for example, the death of 10 years old girl in Fukuoka who were killed by 46 years old suspect, boyfriend of her mother, are the incident that should not be happening more than the incident by ISIS, I think. It isn’t the logic of “it’s his responsibility because Goto went to the war zone with his own will, so he should be killed”. But the logic on the difference of the possibility of them to avoid that the risk of their death. It is quite different to hear someone say “I am going to war zone” and “I am going to school”. The possibility of the danger they can expect after their departure of the day has a big difference.

Well, of course both of their lives are equally and extremely important and precious. What I think is that it should be considered as serious issue that in Japan, the country where suppose to have the highest level of security, has such a crime of the girl just leaving her house for school and then killed. This should not be happening. But people who scream for world peace don’t even look at this crime and only focusing on a killing incidence that had happened in the middle of war zone. It is quite strange to me.

Anyway, losing the lives of 2 people were painful result, however I support the decision of current Japanese government of not paying ransom or not to put a pressure on Jordan to release the death law inmate despite heavy criticism from Japanese citizens. Unfortunately majority of people in this world are low in education and unable to think things logically then act with immediate intention. If they learn that they can gain huge ransom by kidnapping Japanese, or can release their people from prison, then it could have been lead to the habitual situation of any Japanese are easy bulls eye for all crime groups.

But, it would be the best if one day whole world will be safe enough for anyone to visit though…

People are start buzzing about that some of jobs we have now will disappear in near future of 2020 to 2030. Yup. I think it’s inevitable. Not talking about future but even if we look back our near past, many types of jobs are deleted since computer is introduced to our life. The speed of such shift must be escalated and some new types will be born but at the same time then the types of jobs that can be taken over by computer or machines will be eliminated very soon.

On the other day, I was totally surprised by that translation gadget we now have in our phone. I was expecting some gadget to understand my Japanese and then convert them into data, and then translate them to other languages. It’s what I were already expecting. However when my android recognises my English and then convert them into data just surprised me. I remember that Siri in IPhone 4S can recognise U.S. English and British English, and Aussie English separately but then when my friend from U.S. talked to British English version of Siri, it could not understand much of what he was saying. Of course my English were not listened by Siri at all and made me feel that I will never speak any English ever in my life.

In our real life, it won’t be happening if British and American talk in English then not able to understand each other. People understand me even with my English. It was not possible last time but Google translation has over came that difficulty only in a year and now it can recognise most of English by itself.

When you do not understand what another is saying at all, this function can flourish its power the most. For example, when you want to someone to understand what you want them to understand, you can try to speak some words on a guide book and most often the person gets what you are trying to say. Then a difficulty arises when the another understood what you say then they answer to you. You asked but you do not understand the answer they are giving you. This completely one direction conversation does not work as communication at all. When such situation has occurred, I can pull out this gadget and be able to let it translate is such a evolution. Even some grammars are wrong, it doesn’t matter. It still is great improvement from not to be able to understand at all to be able to communicate.

And if such function is so easy to use and available to everyone, more people uses more frequently and more lively and fresh datas can be compiled and it speeds up the evolution of the system. I think this is a breakthrough for this type of gadget and now we are literally in the era of “Devil’s tongue translator” (There is such a gadget in Japanese Sci-fi comic called Doraemon. One of his super gadget is that if you eat the devil’s tongue, you will be able to speak any language you want).

It can be possible that such translator gadget will soon have much improved function and when you are able to speak only few words in another language, the gadget catch up with your study and it might work better than you learn new language. It may allow you to speak to anyone from English to French to Thai, anyone. Of course I understand that studying language (Comprehend) and just simply to be able to communicate is totally different stories. So if you are learning new language, you should keep studying.

Well but anyway, language teachers or translator job will be difficult to survive unless they can do good branding for their work and have a proven good skills. I was going to write that farmer’s job as well disappear soon but I guess you might be getting bored with my long writing so I will post it on my next blog!

Our director, Mr. Kato, is going to have “the lecture of sea turtles” at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Public Policy on November 18.

Since I have nothing special to do with any high educations, I tend to swoon at his/her feet every time I meet anyone who has “a bachelor degree”. So, as soon as I hear “The University of Tokyo” or “a graduate school”, I thought they were god-like existences, with whom I didn’t have any relation at all in my life (lol). Anyway, Mr. Kato, who keeps his “talking with shouts” style wherever he goes, is a great guy, and furthermore, he guaranteed that he was going to talk about our HUGS at his lecture, such as; what kind of activities we are doing and what kind of goals we are aiming at. I wish I could fly to Japan and attend his lecture so bad, but I had to give it up this time because it is a little bit far from here to Tokyo. So, instead of flying there, I am going to support him with a different way, which is offering some resources. I have decided to make an amazing and honored resources, which is equal to Mr. Kato’s enthusiasm and to make the knowledgeable students of the Tokyo University surprise.

I wrote the other day on my blog article titled as “the agriculture with the introduction of IT” that we’d like to try to introduce Information Technology to the field of agriculture not only in Cambodia, but in developing countries as well for our pride. Mr. Kato is going to talk about the same issue, which follows our thoughts, in his lecture this time. So, I went to the farm in Pailin, a west side of Cambodia, where HUGS does some operations, and did some flight tests with a drone (a radio-controlled helicopter with aerial shoots functions) yesterday.

Well, this is amazing. Although I am a beginner to use a drone, it is easy to control and fly it, and its pictures are outstandingly clear and beautiful. My technique is not good enough to take cool pictures /videos yet, I truly thought this technology is very useful and essential for anyone who owns an agriculture business. I can’t stop regretting if I had had this technology already when our crops had got massive damages from the heavy rains last year, we could have got the picture of all the damages in details.

Being able to overlook down the farm in details from above the sky is a huge merit for us, who own an enormous land, which is unable to be looked over at glance.

Technologies are incredible, aren’t they? Due to the hard works of the world-wide geniuses, our life is getting more convenient. Well, let us do what we can do at least; delivering the benefits from the geniuses to any developing countries, which has nothing related with any technologies yet.